sizing

Question
I have a 14 yr old daughter. She is 5'5 and 140lbs. I was wondering what size womens ski she should be in. She is beg to inter. Skining in New England.
Thanks
Jay

Answer
Hi and thanks for the question.

I have written alot about ski sizes & what to look for. Have a scroll thru some of those for more information.

The basics are:
LENGTH: shaped skis are in general chin to eye height. Longer for deeper snow, faster speeds and heavier build. Shorter for ice, faster turns and light weights. You're daughter is quite tall already, but if you think she is gowing to grow even more - take this into consideration as well. Maybe start with skis at nose/eye height. But also cinsider the little extra effort needed to turn the ski as well. It really can be a balancing act.

FLEX: is how the ski bends. Hold tip in non-dominant hand and with the tip on the floor, push the ski in the middle [usually between bindingsd] and feel how it rebounds. Do this above and below the binding. You want to feel how fast the ski bounces back as well as how difficult it is to push on.
Stiffer ski: longer turns, heavier people, faster speeds
Softer ski: shorter turns, light people, bumps, slower speeds

SIDECUT: this determines how quick the ski likes to turn. Choose one to suit your preferred ski style. Short, medium or long turns.

BINDINGS: find out what the DIN needs to be, then choose bindings as you want to be in the middle to lower range. As your daughter is still growing you ned to allow for the height and weight changes to ensure a safe system.

As your daughter is still growing - be mindful her joints may not be fully developed [especially if she has grown taller in the previous 6months]. Its important they are not having pains when they go skiing. Also, other activities that help develop muscle and bone strength are ideal pre-training. Ride a bike, kick a ball, running, any team sports, swimming .... anything but sitting.

Trying to buy equipment for your daughter to use for a few years may be a little tricky.  But i would suggest good fitting boots to avoid feet problems later on.  There arent too many sports where we insist on cramming our foot into a shoe for the "perfect" fit.

If there is anything else you would like to know, just ask.

lisa